Somerset CCC match reports plus occasional articles and poems

Memories. Maurice Tremlett imagined.

Maurice Tremlett was one of Somerset’s greatest captains. In the late 1950s he wrought a renaissance in Somerset cricket comparable with that wrought in the 1970s by Brian Close and in the 2000s by Justin Langer. In each of the three cases the renaissance continued into the following decade under different captains.

Here the author recalls some imaginings of his young self about a player he had at that time never seen.

Somerset v Derbyshire. County Championship. Bath 1958

My earliest memories of serious reading are of kneeling on our sitting room floor with my father’s broadsheet newspaper spread before me. It was too large, or I was too small, for me to hold it steady standing up or sitting down. I remember it open at the sports page containing the cricket scorecards. Always in full in those days.

At the end of each round of matches the County Championship table would appear. One division of 17 teams in those days with the previous year’s position of each county in brackets after the name. No Durham until 1992, the first county to join the Championship since Glamorgan in 1919.

Were Somerset higher than they had finished the previous year the key consideration. And every so often the national averages would appear. Where and who was the highest placed Somerset batsman? Peter Wight always seemed to vie for that position. In 1959 he even vied for top spot but was beaten to it by MJK Smith with his 3245 runs.

I would pore down the scorecards, my finger running along each line. How many had Wight scored? Or Alley, or McCool, or above all Tremlett. I was always avidly in search of Tremlett’s score for he was Somerset’s captain and rarely seemed to score many runs at that time. I wondered what it must be like to be captain and not score many runs.

Then, one miraculous day, the paper revealed Tremlett had scored 118 out of Somerset’s total of 236 all out. The symmetry of scoring 118 out of 236, exactly half, made an indelible impression on my young mind. 118. 236. 118. 236. 118. 236. The two numbers turned over and over until they lodged firmly in my mind. They have never been dislodged. They are there still.

As I turned those numbers over in my mind that day I tried to imagine what to me was Tremlett’s great innings. My mind saw a heavy overcast day, bowlers constantly on the mark with no respite for the batsmen. I imagined Tremlett doggedly defending; scoring a run here and a run there, perhaps an occasional defiant boundary, as he stood fast against persistently accurate bowling, his score gradually mounting. The others I imagined succumbing one by one to the onslaught until, last man standing, the captain finally fell with Somerset having a precious score to defend.

What the weather was actually like that day I have no idea but I wanted it to be impossible for batting, the bowling unrelenting, the rest of the batting fragile. Tremlett standing god like above the fray. I actually have no idea, and had no idea, if Tremlett really was the last man standing or if his innings was dogged or spectacular, skilful or lucky. But the mind of a boy who had never been taken to watch Somerset drew whatever pictures he wanted in his mind and that picture remains vivid.

A peek at an online scorecard today, an undreamt-of wonder in 1958, tells some of the story. The match was at Bath against Derbyshire. The Derbyshire attack included Jackson, Gladwin and Rhodes so the bowling probably was pretty unrelenting. Tremlett did score 118 out of 236 and Somerset batted 97.4 overs. Two and a half runs an over. Probably about par for the course in those days so perhaps the innings was not so dogged. Tremlett put on 104 for the fifth wicket with Alley of which Alley scored 51. So Tremlett must have matched Alley’s scoring rate. Perhaps not dogged at all then at least in 1958 terms.

In fact, according to Wisden, Tremlett was known as a hitter but that was unknown to me at the time. Whether he hit out in this innings or played as I imagined, with Somerset under pressure, I have no way of knowing but my imagined image of this innings remains. The dogged hero digging out a score in impossible conditions as all around fell by the wayside. And that is how it will always remain for the mind of an eight-year-old should surely be permitted a dream or two which lasts a lifetime.

Oh yes, and Somerset won the match by 4 runs.

Scores: Somerset 236 and 120. Derbyshire 169 and 183.

This piece, here slightly edited, was, I believe, originally written somewhere in the winter of 2016/17 to be posted on grockles.com. I have been unable to locate it on the grockles site perhaps because old threads are often merged. Or perhaps I never got around to posting it. It has been posted there now.

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‘Farmer White’ Somerset Cricket Writing

The purpose of this website is to provide a location where the collected cricket writing of ‘Farmer White’, most of which is published on diverse ‘threads’ on grockles.com, an independent Somerset cricket website, can be accessed and read in one location.

The posts which appear on this site have been edited to remove some errors and some repetition which can occur especially when a post, as most were, were written at pace immediately after a match and well into the early hours of the morning.

For the same reason the flow of the original text has been improved in some places and occasionally re-ordered. However the substance and style of the original posts remain unaltered. The original posts are still available on grockles.com.

A paragraph in italics has been added before most posts to set some brief context for the post. After each match report, also in italics, a summary scorecard of each day’s play has been added.

‘Farmer White’ will continue to post future match reports on grockles.com as well as on this site.

In addition to reporting on the cricket ‘Farmer White’ reports may contain opinion and try to reflect the atmosphere of the match. ‘Farmer White’ also writes about the experience of being a Somerset supporter whether at a match or not.

In addition to match reports the site contains articles and poems related to Somerset cricket all written by ‘Farmer White’. Further examples are added from time to time.

Match reports on every day of Championship cricket in 2018 are now in place. August.

Additionally some reports on T20 matches from 2018 will bw found on the site. page.

This is a ‘blog’ style website and so all posts appear on the Home Page. The most recently dated post appears at the top. Beyond that posts appear in reverse date order.

To aid navigation match reports have been dated the date on which the play took place. The date the report was posted on grockles.com is contained at the end of each post.

Please refer to the ‘Site Guide’ page for advice on how to navigate the site. Alternatively please refer to the ‘contents’ page which contains links to all articles and is updated each time a new item is posted on the site.

This project is still in its early stages and will take time to grow. One step at a time will be the watchword. Its development will be kept under review.

This section will be updated periodically as the content of the site develops.

‘Farmer White’

17th March 2019

‘Farmer White’

‘Farmer White’, the author of this site, was brought up on the story of one of Somerset’s greatest cricketers, JC ‘Farmer’ White; of how his slow left arm bowling was the epitome of accuracy and that he captained England.

An indelible impression was made and, as indelible impressions do, it has remained with him.

When, at the end of the 2016 season, he began to post reports and occasional articles and poems on threads on grockles.com and needed a posting name ‘Farmer White’ was the natural choice.

JC ‘Farmer’ White 1891-1961

JC ‘Jack’ or ‘Farmer’ White played for Somerset CCC from 1907-37. He captained the side from 1927-31.

He remains the County’s leading First Class wicket taker with 2167 at an average of 18.02. He took 100 First Class wickets in a season 14 times.

With the bat he scored six centuries and scored 1000 runs in a season twice.

He took 381 catches.

He played in 15 Tests for England and captained England four times.

In the 1928-9 Ashes series he was England’s top wicket taker with 25.

In the Adelaide Test he took 13 for 256 in 124.5 overs and England won by 12 runs.

‘FARMER WHITE’ ON CRICKET

To locate the post in which a quote appears click the post title located immediately beneath the quote.

“And then, as at the end of the last match of every season, there was the reluctance of many to leave their seats as they watched, across an empty outfield, the memories of the season past. Better memories for Somerset supporters than for Nottinghamshire ones this year.”Notts v Som CC1 Day 3 26th Sep 2018“Winter well”

“Those modes of dismissal summed up the different characters of the bowling of Overton and Gregory. The one seemingly forcing his way through defences to snatch wickets. The other quietly purloining them from unwary batsmen.”Notts v Som CC1 Day 2 25th Sep 2018Business end

“This was Hildreth at his glorious, apparently carefree, but doubtless intensely focused best. As the clouds gathered in they might have been the chariots of gods come to see who was creating such perfection in the imperfect world below.”Notts v Som CC1 Day 1 24th Sep 2018Of genius and the sublime

“Somerset 4 for 2. And then Hildreth. Hildreth did what Hildreth does. An on driven boundary of perfection off his first ball.”
Som v Surrey CC1 Day 3 20 Sep 2018Fighting hard

“They be too good for we,” the comment from across the aisle. There was perhaps more truth in that than even the speaker, who I find to be perceptively knowledgeable about cricket, realised.”
Som v Surrey CC1 Day 2 19 Sep 2018Somerset under the weather

“Somerset in the field were exemplified by Abell at cover. I lost count of the number of times a ball flew off the bat with ‘four’ written all over it only to find itself snared by Abell’s electrifying dives.”Som v Surrey CC1 Day 1 18 Sep 2018Surrey on the road

“If momentum means anything we have a chance,” someone said, and Somerset had picked up momentum at the end of the Sussex innings as fast as the Bungee Blast was shooting people into the air. Whether Somerset could turn the match on its head as the bungee did its rotating victims was another matter.”
Som v Sussex T20 SF 15 Sep 2018 All Wright on the night

“When you are at a match and a Test-class fast bowler gets it right at pace and settles into a wicket-taking rhythm in helpful conditions on a helpful pitch it is as if a force of nature has been unleashed on the batsmen.”
Hants v Som CC1 Day 2 11 Sep 2018A test of class

“On the way back to the car my white wyvern hat attracted another Somerset supporter. It does that. “38 for 3 the last I heard,” he said, “What is going on?” “It’s worse than that,” I replied, “we were 72 for 5 at Lunch.” It was worse than that. “Not us. Them,” he replied. “They are 38 for 3. We were 106 all out.”
Hants v Som CC1 Day 1 10 Sep 2018Seam from a distance

“I don’t know how much apprehension a human being is supplied with at birth but I have used up enough to fill one of those super tankers that are so difficult to to turn around just watching Somerset.”
Som v Lancs CC1 Day 2 5 Sep 2018Four days tied up in two

“After Lunch, Leach got to work. He started to pick away at the batsmen like an examiner picks away at students who have not done their revision.”
Som v Lancs CC1 Day 1 4 Sep 201822 wickets and 298 runs in Stygian Gloom

“To see one Overton in full flow is a sight worth the seeing. To see both in full flow and in tandem is a sight to treasure.”Yorks v Som CC1 Day 4 1 Sep 2018Yorkshire outpaced

“The Yorkshire crowd cannot be faulted for its impartiality when judging the cricket. Even a loud lbw appeal against Hildreth playing well forward met with the response, “No. Thee can’t gi’ that. He’s too far forrard.”Yorks v Som CC1 Day 3 31 Aug 2018Perfect day

“The comments of opposition supporters, as a match unfolds, sit on the opposite end of the emotional seesaw to where your own feelings sit. At Headingley the frequency of the comments keeps the seesaw constantly in motion.”
Yorks v Som CC1 Day 2 30 Aug 2018Not too bad a day

“The gentlest of gentle bat movements produced rocket like power in the ball as it skimmed the outfield and crossed the boundary directly in front of me. “Just look at that,” another Yorkshire voice drooled.”
Yorks v Som CC1 Day 1 29 Aug 2018Cavalcade

“It was as if the Gillette Cup had passed through a time warp and come to visit. The atmosphere had the feel of those days again. And the match had the feel of the great cup runs of the 70s and 80s.”
Som v Notts T20 QF 27 Aug 2018Gregory’s game

“This was a significant victory not just in the context of this season but in marking the continuing development of what has the potential to become one of the all-time great Somerset teams, perhaps, just perhaps, the greatest of them all.”
Som v Essex CC1 Day 4 22 Aug 2018A match for the ages

“The Essex horse was loose in the paddock with no-one apparently able to close the gate other than Leach and it is too big a job for one man.”
Som v Essex CC1 Day 3 21 Aug 2018Of stable doors

“Davey has emerged as a genuine front line bowler to be reckoned with this season. No longer a man dependent on April green tops for his wickets. The ball with which he bowled Westley was as good as any you will see.”
Som v Essex CC1 Day 2 20 Aug 2018Bowled over

“The talk at the back of the Somerset Pavilion (elevated) was of Peter Wight. Of Peter Wight and Fred Trueman. Of the day in 1962 when Fred Trueman arrived late for the Championship match at Taunton and was sent home by the Yorkshire captain for his pains.”Som v Essex CC1 Day 1 19 Aug 20181962 all over again

“As I left after the match I spoke to a couple who might have watched Somerset in the 1950s and probably did. Neither of them had ever watched T20 before. “A great match,” they said, “and the fielding is a level above.”
Sur’y v Som T20 S Group 10 Aug 2018A stellar match

“Van de Merwe examined the batsmen with the accuracy of a dentist probing with a drill. He imposed the same disinclination to make any rash movements on the batsmen as a dentist does on a patient.”
Hants v Som T20 S Group 8 Aug 2018A Rye look at the cricket

“The light relented and after Tea out into this frozen wasteland the rules of cricket demanded the players return.”
Som v Yorks CC1 Day 2 29 Apr 2018Somerset’s Arctic expedition

” There is no need to use superlatives because it was a superlative innings full of its own superlatives.”
Som v Yorks CC1 Day 1 28 Apr 2018A century for lunch

I remember watching Basil D’Oliviera play and not just at the end of his career. Now I was watching his grandson. ‘Fugit inreparabile tempus’ as Virgil had it. ‘It escapes, irretrievable time” as the all-knowing internet translates it.”
Som v Worcs CC1 Day 3 22 Apr 2018 At last

“One of the things about catching up on 43 years while trying to watch the cricket is you miss the odd thing. Sometimes you miss a year, sometimes you miss a wicket. I missed Abell’s.”
Som v Worcs CC1 Day2 21 Apr 2018Hildreth takes it away

“The first day of Somerset’s 2018 season. It started disastrously. The patisserie on Paddington Station where I used to start my journeys to Taunton during the years of my eastern exile had gone.”
Som v Worcs CC1 Day 1 20 Apr 2018Renshaw drives hard